SANTA MONICA, Calif.,
Aug. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The
iconic Pitfall Harry® is in peril yet again,
30-years after his namesake Atari 2600 video game cemented
'jump-and-run' as a fixture in gaming history. Activision
Publishing, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision
Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI), is celebrating the cherished
franchise with the launch of a new Pitfall!™ App for
the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, available now on the App
Store. Inspired by the original 1982 classic, this modern
incarnation features thrilling new environments and twists on
classic Pitfall! gameplay that will appeal to fans of
all generations.
Pitfall! has been in development at Activision's
recently revealed Leeds, UK-based
studio The Blast Furnace™. This newly formed studio team is
led by veteran developer and former head of Rockstar London,
Mark Washbrook, and Activision is
now announcing the addition of Rockstar Leeds legend Gordon Hall, who will partner with Washbrook to
oversee The Blast Furnace. Hall will also join Activision
Mobile's leadership team as Chief Creative Officer, and will focus
on bringing AAA interactive experiences to the mobile space.
"The original Pitfall! on the Atari 2600 pioneered
the action-platform/runner genre," said Gordon Hall. "We loved
Pitfall! then—along with millions of gamers around
the world—and we still love it now. In fact, it was the game
that inspired quite a few of us to seek a career in game
development. This new incarnation delivers a best-in-class
experience of the game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The
team has kept the elements that made the original so much fun to
play, and merged them with a cool, retro HD art style, updated
controls and play mechanics to keep both old-school fans and
newcomers happy. We're really excited to kick off
Pitfall!'s 30th birthday by rebooting the
franchise for the mobile audience."
From the moment mobile gamers start playing
Pitfall!, they'll experience an ever-changing
landscape with different environments and shifting camera
perspectives, vehicles and mine carts, branching paths, and a wide
range of hazards to overcome. With the iconic objects from
the 2600 classic game – crocodiles, rope swings, gold bars, diamond
rings, cobras and more, players will traverse a volcanic island
carpeted in sweltering jungle and explore villages long since
forgotten by time as they dodge danger in maze-like cave systems.
Every level—crafted from the ground up exclusively for
mobile—packs stunning 3D visuals, instinctive controls and engaging
action-adventure gameplay. As players progress, they can
sweep up loot, buy power-ups and earn experience, enabling them to
advance through the leveling system and compete with friends for
the best high scores. The excitement doesn't stop there, as
plans call for the game to evolve over time through future content
updates.
The new Pitfall! App for mobile is available for
purchase today from the App Store for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch
or at www.itunes.com/appstore. Additionally, The Blast
Furnace is also working on a version of the game for Android
devices planned to launch at a later date. Be sure and follow
the new Pitfall! mobile game on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pitfallmobilegame and @PitfallMobile on
Twitter.
About Activision Publishing, Inc.
Headquartered in Santa Monica,
California, Activision Publishing, Inc. is a leading
worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive
entertainment and leisure products.
Activision maintains operations in the U.S., Canada, the United
Kingdom, France,
Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Spain, Norway, Denmark, the
Netherlands, Australia,
South Korea, mainland China and the region of Taiwan. More
information about Activision and its products can be found on the
company's Web site, www.activision.com.
All trademarks and trade names are the properties of their
respective owners. All rights reserved.
SOURCE Activision Publishing, Inc.